Day one of the two day AZCENTRAL Wine & Food Experience took place at Monterra at Westworld in Scottsdale Arizona November 3rd 2018. It was a festival of sampling food from mostly local restaurants, wine, some beer and a few spirits. The headliner for Saturday was Celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson.

Marcus Samuelsson Demonstration started fifteen minutes after general admission were allowed to enter so the seats were already filled up.  I couldn’t hear or see what was going on but I worked hard to get this picture…Everyone that was standing in front of me was at least a foot taller than me….so this was the best I could get.

This was my first bite and also was one of the most interesting bites of the day.  It was a crisp crepe, Ritiba Farms Big Jim Chilies, BBQ Acorn Squash, Somalian Spiced creamed Butternut Squash, lemon, Oyster Mushroom Jus, Arugula and Mint……From the Crepe Bar. This was so interesting, complex and different…..If I had more room I would have made a second trip here.

The Market by Jennifers offered all kinds of things….Push up dessert of brownie with caramel corn, Asian noodle dish, butternut squash soup and sweet potato chips.

Shrimp Remoulade from Mingo’s Louisiana Kitchen.

Tommy Bahama did serve a very good Chicken Lollipop and it was more than a taste….it was a meal.

Lou Malnatis Chicago Deep Dish Pizza was HOT and Fresh!

Melting pot offered strawberries and marshmallows dipped in chocolate.

Barilla Pasta was there serving pasta with eggplant, fresh basil and cheese. They had their own custom plates, napkins and this really cool knife/spoke.

AJ’s offered a variety of pastas…..My husband liked one of the sauces with sausage.

Los Sombreros offered Carnitas on a spoon and Guacamole and a chip.

WOO HOO! This next one was really good! Maybe my favorite bite?

Wright’s At The Biltmore did this Smoked Trout that was awesome…….Might have been my best bite…….

Taco Chelo, Ghost Ranch, Phoenix Public Market….Hummus with Crisp very Fresh Vegetables and a Very Detailed Salad.

West Alley BBQ and a Chicken Slider with some sort of Whiskey Sauce that was very tasty.

Bourbon and Bones Beef Short Rib and Cheesy Grits.

The Food from Cartwright’s Modern Cuisine was very light and low calorie…

Boca Tacos and Tequila offered a Salmon Taco on some sort of Green Tortilla…a variety of salsas were offered. I added the Green Sauce and it was delicious!!!

The Wagyu Ribeye was like beef butter from Omni Resorts.

Timo offered a Beet Salad and a Crab Cake.

The Dabba offered a few dishes.

Nothing Bundt Cakes offered some cake tasting.

I tried the Vegan Jackfruit Bun from Obon Sushi Bar Ramen.

Mowry and Cotton served a variety of dishes. Caramelized Shishito Peppers were very tasty. The Shrimp dish looked stunning…but I was surprised that I really enjoyed the Tuna Grilled Cheese on Rye…….It was  surprisingly and also an unexpected  delicious tasting.

Shrimp Tostadas and Elote Street Corn from Barrio Queen.

The Thumb offered Caramel Dessert Sandwiches, BBQ Pork and Brisket Sandwiches with Macaroni Salad.

Beef, Pork, Ricotta Meatballs from Match.

My husband said the Chicken Fried Pies (maybe empanadas) were one of my husband’s favorites…….He said these were VERY GOOD. I was all out of stomach room to try them……DANG! These came from La Hacienda at The Fairmount.

Handmade Cavateli with Braised Lamb sugo from Tanzy.

By Two o’clock the trash cans are as full as my stomach.

Some Pie Sampling from The Bakery Phoenix.

One of my best bites of the day was the Chicken Taco from Gadzooks.

Oh and Hickman’s was there giving out hard boiled eggs….

It was all this and more!!!!!

I tried three of the wines offered….maybe if I tried more I’d find a better one……..?

The Forking Truth is that you never know what to expect when you attend the AZCENTRAL Wine and Food Festival.

The participationing restaurants differed from what was printed in the paper. The yellow high-lighted restaurants I didn’t see there.

www.wineandfood.azcentral.com

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